Scoring mechanism for game apparatus.



l. M. DOEBRICH.

SCORING MECHANISM FOR GAME APPARATUS.

APPLlcATxoN min ocT. 22. 1914.

*Patented May 30,1916.

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SCORING MECHANISM FOR GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 22. 1914. l 1,185,071. Patented May 30,1916.

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1. M. DOEBRICH.

SCORING MECHANISM FOR GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 22, 1914.

Patented 'May 30,1916.

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J. M. DOEBRICH. v SCORING MECHANISM FOR GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 22| 1914.

Patented May 30, 1916.

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. APPLICATION man ocT. 22. 19m.

1,185,071.l Patented May 30,1916.

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JOSEPH M. DDEE-RICH, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 `THE J.D.

'ESTE- COMPANY, 01E' PHILADELPHIA, p WARE.

PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F DELA- SGOBING MECHANISIFI FOB GAMEAPPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1916.

Application led October 22, 1914. Serial No. 867,965.

To all 'whom it may concern.'

. Be it known that I, JOSEPH M. DOEBRICH, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Phil-v adelphiaand State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and usefulScoring Mechanism for Game Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention is applicable in whole or in part to the gameapparatus shown and described in Letters Patent No.

905,941 of December 8th, 1908, to F. J. Simpson, although itsapplication is not limited to that particular apparatus. However, in thefollowing description reference will be made to that apparatus for thesake of an explanation of the invention.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide forautomatically keeping the score attributable to the balls played by theplayers; to provide for resetting the scoring apparatus; to provide forautomatically delivering to each player the appropriate number of ballsfor a game; .to provide for requiring prepayment of the price chargedfor a game before the balls are delivered and the scoring mechanismreset, and further to provide in the particulars mentioned, or some ofthem, for making the operation of the apparatus automatic andindependent of the services of an attendant. l

Other objects of the invention will appear from the followingdescription and the invention itself will be claimed at the end hereof.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention,chosen from other embodiments, and in them- Figure 1, is a perspectiveview with parts broken away of a game apparatus such as is shown anddescribed in said Letters Fatent No. 905,941, fitted with mechanismembodying features of the invention. Fig.- 2, is a perspective view,drawn to an enlarged scale, illustrating details of construction. Fig.8, is a side view, partly in section with parts broken away,illustrating the game apparatus of Fig. 1 and also mechanism embodyingfeatures of the invention. Fig. 4, isa top or plan view of the apparatusillustrated at the left-hand side of Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 are sectionalviews, drawn to an .enlarged scale, and illustrating more or less 1nelevation theapparatus shown in Fig. et. Fig. 7-1s a sectional view ofsome of the apparatus shown in Figs. 5 and 6, but looking 1n the otherdirection. Fig. 8, is an end view o f Fig. 7. Fig. 9, is a side viewpartly lnsection of apparatus shown at the righthandside in Fig. 3, andFigs. 10 and 11 are views, partly in perspective illustratingtheapparatus shown in Fig. 9 in different positions.

For the sake of a descriptio/n of the invention the operation of thegame apparatus to which it is shown as applied may be briefly explained.

1 is an alley having interposed in it a hump 2 and provided with anelevated target 3 consisting of ring-like cavities. The

`alley is provided with a wall 11' communieating with a ball returnrunway 5 covered by a grating or the like 6, Fig. 4. ln playing the gameeach player uses anappropri-` ate number of balls a., for example, nine.The player rolls these balls along' the alley 1, one after another, eachball striking the hump 2 rises and it is the intention that it shallstrike the target as near the bulls eye as possible, at any rate if itstrikes the target it counts for the player according to the place whereit strikes. The balls pass through the target in a manner which will bedescribed and are returned to-the alley at its far end and are directedby the guide 4: to the runway 5 which returns the balls to the playingend of the alley.

rThere is a rotary scoring member 7 suitably arranged in respect to thealley, for

example, above the target 3. This rotary scoring member consistsgenerally speaking of a squirrel-cage having pivoted between its endscards 8, bearing appropriate numbers and by dropping from a fixed rest9, as the squirrel cage is rotated, adapted to show the marking ornumber, on a single card at a time through a suitable opening. Upon oneend of the squirrel cage there is a circular series of pins 11corresponding in number with the number of the cards and these pins maybe designated ratchet pins.

12, is a pawl arm pivotally mounted on a locking lever 13 pivotedintermediate of its ends at 14 and operated upon by the spring 15. Thispawl lever 12 is held up to its work by the spring 16. rilhe lockinglever 13 is provided with a projection 17 adapted arm of a bell crank20. If the link or wire 19 be pulled for a certain distance and thenreleased, the pawl arm 12 will pass by a certain number of teeth or pms11 and will thereafter turn the member 7 in a counterclockwise directionthrough a movement corresponding to the number of pins. There are a setof bell crank levers, of which one arm of each lever is in a ball path21, 22, 23, 24, and 25, and the other arm of each bell crank lever isconnected with a rod or wire 26 attached to the bell crank 20. Each ofthese bell crank levers has the operative ends 27 and 28 in appropriatearcs struck from the pivotal support 29 of the bell crank lever and inappropriate angular relation for effecting an appropriate throw of thepawl arm 12 forshowlng the card 9 which should be shown having regard tothe ball path or way through which the ball passed. The armsof the bellcrank levers are independently pivoted at 29 and the arm 30 is providedwith a. counter-weight and with an adjusting screw 31 adapted to collidewith the arm 32. As shown the arms 32 are of different lengths and theset screws 31 can be adjusted to vary the point in the angular motion ofthe arm 30 at which its motion is communicated to theA arm 32.

' Assuming that the scoring device is showing zero and that a balltraverses the path 21, it will strike the end 27 of the arm 30 and turnit through a certain range of motion. This is true of any ball passingthrough any of the ball paths. However, returning to the ball which ispassing through the ball-way 21 and should in the present instance countfifty, the movement of the arm 27 is transmitted by the relatively longarm 32 to the rod 26 and the motion begins at an earlier or later timein the movement of the arm 27 by the adjustment of the set screw 31. Theeffect of this long arm 32 is to move the pawl arm 12 over five pins ontherotary scoring member 7 so that when` the ball passes and themechanism is released the pawl arm 12 drives the member 7 asulicientdistance to throw down the card 8, vwhich shows fifty. f Adescription of one of the other bell crank levers will be suflicient, sothat the one that coperates with the ball path 25 will be given. In thiscase the arm 30 travels the same distance as before, but the arm 32 isrelatively short. The ball-way 25 is for the passage of a ball thatshould score rindicates his total score.

ten. In consequence of this short arm the arm l2 is only moved adistance of one in l10n the member 7 so that when the mec anism isreleased by the-passage of the balI the member 7 is -advanced only farenough to show one card, which is the next one and therefore the truescore of sixty is indicated. It is not necessary that the angularposition at which the arms 30 and 32 become operative be adjusted inconnection with the length of the arms for these are but diierent waysof attaining the same end and they can be used alone or in combination.

We may assume now that a player has played a game and that one of thecards-8 The next o eration in logical order is for another p ayer toplay a game and to do this he should be provided With an appropriatenumber of balls, the scoring mechanism should be reset to zero, and itis often desirable that he should be required to pay in advance.

33 is a hand lever which may be pivoted in a suitable housing 34 havinga slot to permit of the lever being drawn back and forth. This handlever 33 operates resetting mechanism to be presently described, throughthe intervention of a rod 35 extending along the alley, a bell crank-36and a connection 37 which may be included in it and a spring 38. Thishand lever 33 should therefore, and for reasons which will hereinafterappear, be operated through full ,strokes two-way detent 40 on the handlever 33 op-v erates. At each end of the stroke of the hand lever 33 thedetent runs off the rack,l

but when the hand lever 33 is once started p7 it is evident that thehand lever 33 can be moved in the direction of the arrow to complete itsstroke, but cannot be moved in the opposite direction until it hascompleted its stroke.

The resetting mechanism which is operated from the rod 37 will bedescribed in connection with Figs. 9 to 11. 41, is a re- Ysetting leverpivoted at 42 and between this lever 41 and the locking lever 13 thereare cams 43 so that when the lever 41 is turned it releases the rotaryscore member 7 by withdrawing the projection 17 from between two of itsteeth 11. 44, is a toothed quadrant pivoted at'42 and provided withstops 45 for limiting its range of motion. The resetting lever 41 isretracted by means of a spring 446 and between the resettin lever 41 andthe quadrant 44 there are a utting faces 47 of which the angularrelation is such that there is some lost motion between the parts,although the resetting lever 41 turns the quadrant in one direction orthe' other. 48 is a. resetting linger provided with an'end 49 which mayyield in one drection and not in the other. This resetting finger isfast with a kpinion 50 journaled at 51 and meshing with the quadrant sothat the quadrant turns the finger. On theend of the rotary scoringmember there Iis a stop pin 52 adapted to collide with a stop pin 53 onthe back of the quadrant when the latter is in the position shown inFig. 11, but arranged to clear the stop pin ,53 when in other positions.When the stops 52 and 53 are in contact with each other as shown in Fig.11, the member 7 is locked by the detent 18 and the zero card isexposed. The relation between the number of teeth on the quadrant and onthe pinion is such that one stroke of the quadrant causes' the pinion-toturn through a little more than 360, so that the finger 48 is turnedmore than 360i. The purpose of this is to insure the return 'of thescoring apparatus to zero and the purpose of the yielding end 49 is topermit the finger to pass the pin- 52 whenever it may be necessary. IfWe assume that the scoring mechanism indicated 160, as shown in Fig. 10,and that the hand lever 33 is pulled'through a full stroke, the finger48 is turned counter clockewise through 440 and is arrested in theposition shown in Fig. 11 4with the stops 52 and 53 in abutment and withzero indicated. When the hand lever 33 is pushed toward the right inFig. 7, the rotary scoring member 7 is held by the detent 18 and thequadrant and resetting linger 45 are returned to place, the yielding endof the .finger 49 permitting it to pass the pin 52 when the finger isturning clock-wise and the locking pin 17 also locks the member 7.

`A description will now be given of the coin released mechanism for thehand lever 33. The part ofthe hand lever 33 within the housing 34 isforked, one fork being omitted in Figs. 5 and 6. Between the forks'there is a pin 54 and a cross piece 54a.

55 is a counter-balanced coin lever pivoted at 56 to a bracket on theinner face of the top of the housing 34. At its forward end this lever55 is provided with a laterally open hook 57 to which a coin is guided.by the coin chute 58. 1f the coin be of appropriate size and weight, ittips the coin lever but this tipping movement is temporarily arrestedbecause the guide arm 59 integral with the coin lever rests upon thepin'- 54. By the tipping of the lever the hook 60 integral with the coinlever is dropped clear of the cross piece 54a. If the guide arm 59 didnot rest upon the pin 54, the coin lever would turn, become free of itscoin and pernected to the guide arm 59 is a leader which keeps the guidearm above the pin 54. Hand Vlever 33 after the coin has been freed fromthe hook 57 by the inclined delivery chute 62 is returned.

63, is a counter visible from the outside of thebox or vcasing 34 and itis connected as by a link 64 with the lever 33 so'that for eachoperation of the lever the counter is advanced, thus indicating thenumber of games that have been played and checking up the coin receipts.65, is a fixed frame in which is mounted for reciprocation a movableframe, the forward end 66 of which constitutes a ball guard and the rearend of which is provided with a cross-pin 67 that is connected bysuitable links 68 with the hand lever 33. The cross-pin 67 also works ina cam slot 69 formed in a gate arm 70 pivoted to the and balls, in thepresent instance, nine, roll past it but the guard end 66 of the frameover-lies the balls as shown in Fig. 5 so that none 0f them can be takenout and played with. When the hand lever 33 is pushed back into theposition shown in Fi 6, the gate 72 descends and cuts oli' nine alls, atthe same time the guard 66 is retracted andpermits the player to removethe balls one at a time-as is shown in Fig. 6.

The operation may be described as follows: Starting with the parts inthe position shown in Fig. 6, but without the balls in front of thegate, the score cards Sindicate the score of the last player. The new lplayer puts his coin in the coin chute 58, the coin by its weight turnsthe coin lever to an extent limited by the guide arm 59 sufficient torelease the hook 60 from the cross-member 54a but not sufficient topermit the inclined chute 62 to .free the coin from the hooked end 57.The player then-pulls the lever forward and he is compelled to pull itthrough a full stroke by the pawl 40 and rack 39. The full stroke of thelever lifts the gate 72 and brings the guard 66 forward so th'at ballsdescend but may not be taken out because the guard 66 covers them asshown in Fig. 5. In order to get the balls out, the player must push thehand 'lever 33 backward. This backward motion so that the player can getthe balls. During the forward and back stroke of the hand lever 33, thescore is reset to zero through the connections 35, 3G, 37, and thedescribed resetting mechanism which is shown in Figs. il to ll.

which has been described and which is shown in Figs. 2, 9 and 11. Theabove operation is repeated by the successive players and iinally thecounter 63, Fig. 8 indicates the total numberl of games that have beenplayed and should correspond with the number ot' coins. It is evidentIthat when all thc described features are employed the game. is managedwithout requiring the sci-'vices of an attendant, but oi' course some ofthe 'features may be omitted While others are retained.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications may bemade in de- The player ythen bowls the balls and his score is kept bythe mechanism tails of construction and' arrangement, hence theinvention is not limited 1n regard to such matters nor in any Wayfurther than the prior state of the art may require.

VVh'at I claim is:

In a game apparatus the combination of a plurality of ball paths, balloperated scoring mechanism responsive in different degree to ballstraversing different paths and provided With re-setting means, returnball.

dispensing means, a' hand lever, and connections between the hand leverand ball dispensing and re-setting means for re-setting the scoringmechanlsm and releasing a supply of balls, substantially as described.In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

JOSEPH M. DOEBRICH. In the presence of- CLIFroRD K. CAssEL, FRANK E. FUNCH.

